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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Felon" data-source="post: 2817180" data-attributes="member: 8158">Sure, I know, but "sometimes" probably isn't so often that it makes Improved Uncanny Dodge so utterly vital that a rogue couldn't fathom trading it off for a Disruptive Attack. But please, let us all bicker some mroe about this, because we are immortal after all and life's not too short for this...  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f60e.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":cool:" title="Cool    :cool:"  data-smilie="6"data-shortname=":cool:" /> I'd also like to get another pot ready for stirring with the dragon shaman. Upon noting its ability to grant auras, anyone familiar with the Minis Handbook probably thought of the marshal base class--at least I sure did. Does anyone think they're balanced against each other?They seem to come out pretty even in terms of HD, BAB, skill points, and saves. The shaman receives a bigger hit die, while the marshal gets a couple a more skill points. So, let's focus on the class features.The shaman's auras are at least as good as anything the marshal gets from his major auras (including melee damage bonus, fast healing, damage shield, damage reduction, and extreme energy resistance auras), and in addition the class accrues them at a greater pace (starting with 3 at first level), and the bonus provided improves more rapidly. The marshal's advantage is that his auras have a better radius of effect (marshal = 60 feet, shaman = 30 feet).The marshal doesn't have much left after that--just the minor aura and grant move action ability. The dragon shaman gains a breath weapon, a draconic adaptation (most seem to be the equivalent a 1st-level spell usuable at will), immunity to sleep & paralysis, natural armor bonuses, energy immunity, a healing touch (that can cure hit point damage, ability damage, and a slew of status effects like blindness, stun, nausea, disease, negative levels and more), and a few other funky abilities. I won't say the marshal doesn't have an edge here and there (for instance, it gets proficiency with martial weapons), but in the final analysis I think it's a pretty clear-cut KO in favor of the shaman. The thing that really seems odd here is that it must have occurred to the designers to weigh the two classes against each other given the similarity of their aura abilities, and yet here we are. Mearls, Mousferatu, anybody out there in the know have any light to shed on the topic?</blockquote>

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